2020 Founders’ Fund Grant Recipient – Rae

I remember when I received the call from the Jim Collins Foundation. I remember sitting in my car and crying my eyes out, calling my closest people to share the good news. I remember all twenty-eight years of my life replaying in my head as I reflected on the fact that I was finally here.

Although I’ve desired surgery since childhood, it always felt like more of an unattainable dream than an actual event that I would get to experience. The Jim Collins Foundation changed that for me.

Winning this scholarship made every previous defeat feel worth it. It made my five-year transition journey feel more purposeful and intentional. My dreams were literally made into my physical reality that day and it was surreal. I felt a sense of relief in that moment, like breathing for the first time. Freedom finally felt within reach and I had never experienced such a powerful feeling before.

I find words to be insufficient to fully describe what was given to me that day, but I know it is something that I will never forget and that my life is forever altered by it. I am eternally grateful. Thank you Jim Collins Foundation.